Cardinal Parolin: anti-Francis jihadist threat video ‘worrying’

'One cannot help but worry, above all for the senseless hatred that it is.'

One of Pope Francis’s top aides has said a pro-ISIS video that targets the Pope is worrying but notes Vatican security is already at a high level.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, told reporters Saturday that a day earlier he had seen the video, which indicates the pope is a target. Recently, another video, transmitted on the pro-ISIS Telegram channel, suggested that Italy is the next target of an extremist attack.

Parolin said: “Obviously, one cannot help but worry, above all for the senseless hatred that it is.” But he said the Vatican hasn’t added more measures to its already high security.

The Vatican and Italy have been indicated previously as possible targets of Islamist extremism.